Rain, Steam, and Speed - The Great Western Railway
- Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner
- Date: 1844
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the Rain, Steam, and Speed - The Great Western Railway by Joseph Mallord William Turner. Created in 1844, this oil on canvas painting is a remarkable representation of the Industrial Revolution's impact on British society. We're looking at a scene from the Maidenhead Railway Bridge, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, which connects Taplow and Maidenhead on the Great Western line.
As we gaze east towards London, a train heads west into view, its speed emphasized by Turner's use of foreshortening. The artist has exaggerated the abruptness of the bridge's approach to the horizon, creating a sense of dynamism and energy. You'll notice that the double rail track across the bridge is reduced to a single narrow line, further accentuating this effect.
Turner was fascinated by contemporary industry and technology, and he often featured trains in his work. This painting is not just a depiction of modernity; it's an allegory of the forces of nature. The rain falls steadily, but not heavily enough to obscure our view or the sunlight that filters through onto the surrounding woods and fields.
Look closely, and you'll see three small puffs of steam emerging from the engine's funnel – a detail that highlights Turner's attention to realism. Speed is embodied by the train itself, but also by a hare running along the track ahead of it. Although now invisible due to aged paint, this hare was a late addition, meant to represent speed according to artist George Leslie.
Notice how Turner contrasts slow, non-mechanized activities – like the small boat on the river and the man driving a horse-drawn plough near the right edge – with the rapid movement of the train. This juxtaposition is reminiscent of his earlier work, The Fighting Temeraire, where he pitted pre-industrial against modern.
See it in person
Rain, Steam, and Speed - The Great Western Railway hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
